20 
Mines and Mineral Statistics. 
passed over without a siugle Gold Field iuten'cning, the country 
also being exceedingly lieavy and mountainous. The auriferous 
ground hitherto worked extends along the banks of the Delegate 
and the Little Plains Piyers. The latter is more commonly 
known as the Little Liver, thus making two Little Rivers in the 
Braidwood Gold Mining District. It is for this reason that I 
have throughout used the name Mongarlowe, so that the two 
places may not be confounded with each other. These rivers 
and their tributaries have been Avorked for a distance extending 
over some 30 miles, from the Little and Big Bogs on the table- 
land, Avhence the races are supplied, down to the boundary line 
which separates this Colony from Victoria. The gold obtained 
here is of a coarse and nuggety character, very little water- 
worn, even when procured from the river beds. The working is 
precisely the same as that I have previously described as followed 
at Major’s Creek and Mongarlowe. The sinking is very sliallow, 
the greatest deptli being in the bed of the river, where it never 
exceeds 20 feet. No reefs have yet been found in this part of 
the country, although good payable reels have been opened at 
Bendoch and Bouang, in the Colony of Yictoiia, and not more 
than 10 miles distant from the border. There are about 400 
Chinese ivorking on tliis field, with not more than some twenty 
Eurojieau miners. The Neebothery ranges are known to be 
auriferous, but as yet they have not been opened up by the 
miners, OAviug to the difficulty of bringing ivater on to them. 
Indications of copper ha^'e also been found in these ranges. 
Here, as in other places I have mentioned, a good deal of gold 
is obtained, of which no account whatever is received in Sydney, 
except by the Banks ; it all goes doAvn by steamer y/a Merimbula, 
and as it is taken privately by passengers it does not appear upon 
the steamer s manitests. I was able, however, to trace something 
like 1,350 ozs., which had been purchased in Bombala by two 
bu}ers during the last six mouths, aud I was assured by persons 
acquainted witli the subject that the purchases of these two 
parties would represent about halt the yield, as all the store- 
keepers buy gold, and very much is talcen down by the Chinese. 
This would give something like 2,700 ozs. for the "six months, or 
5,400 ozs. for the year, and this, I am told, is actually below the 
average. The field itself, from the produce of gold, is thus well 
deseiinug ol notice ; but it is all the more so from being on the 
boundary ot the Colony, in close proximity to a payable Victorian 
Gold J^ieJd Avhicli draivs all its supplies Irom our territory. In 
foot, all the traffic with this part of \ ictoria is carried on through 
Bombala and Merimbula, and a very extensive trade has sprung 
up across the boundary. ^ ^ 
I may mention that the tedium of a long ride of 110 miles 
from Bombala to Kiaudra ivas very agreeably broken by an 
